东拉西扯 ramble
Explanation
形容说话没有中心，一会儿说这个，一会儿说那个。
Describes speech lacking a central theme, jumping from one topic to another.
Origin Story
话说贾宝玉初入大观园，每日与众姊妹嬉戏玩耍，不务正业。贾政无奈，请来一位老先生教导他。宝玉表面上答应勤学苦读，私下却仍旧和林黛玉偷偷见面，两人你一言我一语，东拉西扯，从诗词歌赋聊到家长里短，从闺阁秘闻聊到园中趣事，全然忘记了学习。一日，老先生来问学，宝玉却支支吾吾，前言不搭后语，东拉西扯一番后，最终还是没能背诵出课文。老先生摇头叹息，直言宝玉顽劣不堪，难以教导。贾政得知此事后，更加忧心忡忡。
Once upon a time, when Jia Baoyu first entered the Grand Garden, he spent his days playing with his sisters and neglecting his studies. Jia Zheng, exasperated, hired an old scholar to tutor him. Baoyu outwardly agreed to study diligently, but secretly continued to meet with Lin Daiyu. Their conversations would meander, covering everything from poetry and literature to gossip and garden life, completely forgetting their studies. One day, the tutor arrived to test Baoyu's progress, only to find him rambling and incoherent, unable to recite even the simplest lessons. The tutor sighed, lamenting Baoyu's incorrigible nature. Jia Zheng, upon hearing this news, grew increasingly worried.
Usage
用于形容说话或写作没有中心，东一句西一句的。
Used to describe speech or writing that lacks a central theme, jumping from one topic to another.
Examples
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他说话东拉西扯，半天没说到重点。
ta shuohua donglaxiche, ban tian mei shuo dao zhongdian.
He spoke at random without getting to the point.
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会议上，他东拉西扯，浪费了不少时间。
huiyishang, ta donglaxiche, langfeile bushao shijian.
His speech was rambling and unfocused; it wasted a lot of time at the meeting..